Indiana Mom Strikes Plea Deal In Child Neglect Case

An Indiana mother has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in a child neglect case involving three of her severely malnourished children and her 14-month-old daughter who sustained a skull fracture.

Sheena A. Zanghi, 24, was charged Monday with four counts of neglect of a dependent, a charge that could bring up to three years in prison.

Details on the plea agreement were not released, with Henry Circuit Court 1 Judge Mary Willis setting sentencing for the tentative date of Aug. 13.

Although Zanghi reached a plea deal with prosecutors back in February, a judge rejected the agreement in April, according to WTHR.

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Zanghi and her four children were discovered by police in June 2014 living in a mobile home with no running water, electricity or a functioning bathroom, according to the Muncie Star Press. Vincent Zanghi, Sheena's 36-year-old husband, also lived with them.

Sheena's 81-year-old grandfather, Earl Lee Larue, who ran the nearby trailer supplying some electricity to his granddaughter's trailer, told police that Vincent assaulted him, and that he was likely abusing the children, too, according to The Inquisitr.

The officers who arrived at the scene recall seeing broken glass, wood and nails outside the home--easily accessible to the children. They also remember smelling urine before entering the home, WXIN reported.

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All four children had cuts and bruises over their bodies, which were reportedly caused by the pit bull puppies Zanghi owned.

The three youngest children were so malnourished that they exhibited "poor linear and brain growth", placing them at risk for developmental delays. A child abuse specialist was also concerned that at least one of Zanghi's children had suffered from physical abuse.